TOPEKA — Members of a newly formed Kansas COVID-19 vaccine equity panel say misinformation and distrust are among the most pressing factors creating racial and ethnic disparities among those who have been vaccinated.
About 35% of all Kansans have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 1,617,994 total doses administered. However, the discrepancies between white and non-white Kansans are significant.
The race and ethnicity is not known for everybody who has received a vaccine, and some individuals reported two or more races. But available data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows 28.7% of white residents have received the vaccine, compared to 28.1% of Asian residents, 21.4% of the Latino population, 17.9% of Black residents and 9.7% of American Indians in Kansas.
